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The city of Portland is in the midst of significantly changing the zoning code to better implement ambitious policies for providing more affordable and better-designed housing choices. Last month the City Council received final testimony on the proposed Better Housing by Design (BHBD) changes, and on Oct. 22 the Planning and Sustainability Commission and Design Commission will both hear testimony on the proposed Design Overlay Zone Amendments (DOZA). Still to come next year are the Residential Infill Project recommendations. The combined effect of these ordinance changes should be significant.

The BHBD applies to the multi-dwelling residentially zoned areas of the city, making significant changes to the way the housing in these areas will be designed and built. More diverse types of buildings are encouraged to better fit their surrounding neighborhoods, with strong incentives to provide more affordable housing units. City Council should be making a decision on this package in the next few months.

The new DOZA draft amendments package is the culmination of a yearslong effort to update how the city reviews and approves building design in those areas subject to the 鈥淒鈥� overlay zone, primarily in the Central City and along major transit corridors. The two commissions are supposed to make their recommendations to the City Council within the next few months. Hopefully there will be good consensus around the primary elements that will allow these long anticipated code improvements to be adopted soon.

One of the areas DOZA will not address immediately is the design of new buildings along many of the older neighborhood 鈥渕ain streets.鈥� Redevelopment in these areas has clearly caused significant controversy, and some neighborhood groups are signing on to the nonprofit PDX Main Street Design Initiative and its proposed guidelines. There is more to come on this initiative and the Residential Infill Project.